Game Spotlight
Tuesday, Oct 21
Rockets vs. OKC: Double overtime on NBC
The first NBA broadcast on NBC began on Tuesday. The Broadcast started with the classic NBC intro from 2002, but switched to a modern iteration of the theme as the game started. Some highlights on the broadcast included the halftime with Michael Jordan’s segment, wherein he explains how he does not play basketball anymore, and his dedication to family since his retirement. a seemingly weekly occurrence on NBC, featuring the stellar announcing of Mike Tirico in play-by-play, and the grouping of NBA stars and analysts giving their takes on the game and analysis. Enough on the NBC broadcast, the game was a hard-fought battle, but the largest injury in this game was Jaylen Williams, the second man on the Thunder, changing the defensive form for the Thunder to be much worse. For Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous Alexander dropped 35/5/5, and Chet Holmgren had 28 points on 65% shooting. On the Rockets, free agent acquisition Kevin Durant’s first game on the team was a bit worse than usual, having 47 minutes of playing time with 28 points on 56% shooting, and Alperen Sengun gave a 39/11/7 performance to carry the Rockets throughout the night. Shai was the overall difference maker in this game, as he caused the game to go into both overtimes with his clutch, close-range shooting, as well as his 14 free throws, making a difference. And two last free throws gave the Thunder the close victory in double overtime to make it past the new look Kevin Durant (and Sengun) led Rockets.
Final(2OT): OKC 125 – 124 HOU
Wednesday, Oct 22
“The Generator” debuts with the 3rd most rookie debut points in NBA history
On Wednesday, the 76ers had their inaugural game of the 2025 season, against the Jayson Tatum-less Boston Celtics. The Sixers, as well, were missing Paul George and Jared McCain for the initial season game. Starting from the 1st quarter, the Sixers’ offense was off the handle, with Tyrese Maxey and Edgecombe both going off the whole game. On the other side of the ball, Boston was struggling, as who was expected to be their 1st option with Tatums’ injury, Jaylen Brown, was struggling to fit into his role, with a 25/6/4 game, as he was not showing up on the stat board during the first half, as well as his projected second man, Derrick White, having a 35% field goal percentage and only making 4/13 3 pointers. The disappointing performance by the Celtics’ main players and the insane performance of both Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe changed the game. Edgecome had 34 points, the 3rd most by a rookie in his debut behind Frank Selvy (1954) and Wilt Chamberlain (1959), and the highest amount in the 21st century. Less talked about and sitting behind this record-breaking debut was Tyrese Maxey, giving the 76ers a look past a casual 40/6/7 bomb on 54.2% shooting. The offense was what kept the Sixers in the game, but the defense in the final minutes one Philadelphia the game. After Edgecombe became iced out and missed 2 game-sealing free throws, Philadelphia was able to stop one shot by the Celtics, and then another in the final seconds to seal a 117 – 116 win for Philadelphia.
Final: PHI 117 – 116 BOS
Thursday Oct 23
Finals rematch in Indiana (another double overtime for Shai and friends)
The Indiana Pacers, similar to the Boston Celtics, are beginning the season without their star player, Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton was the main player who led the Pacers’ surprise charge into the NBA Finals, where he got his knee injured in Game 7, meaning he will be out for a large portion of the new NBA season. Even without Haliburton, the Pacers shone against a strong Thunder team. Some highlight players included Pascal Siakam with 32 points and 15 rebounds, as well as Benedict Mathurin, who had 36 points and 11 rebounds. On the Thunder side, Shai Gilgeous Alexander had 55 points, on 46% shooting, and had 26 free throws. Along with Shai, Aaron Wiggins had 23 points, and Ajay Mitchell had 26. Both teams had a hard-fought battle until Shai hit a game-tying 4th quarter buzzer beater to send the game into overtime. In the first overtime the both teams stopped each other and only scored 11 points each. But in the 2nd overtime, the Thunder were able to widen the gap through a large number of Shai Gilgeous Alexander free throws and win the game to send Oklahoma City to 2-0, again winning against Indiana.
Final(2OT): OKC 141 – 135 IND
Aaron Gordon drops 50 in San Fran while Curry comes up clutch to put Denver to sleep
The Denver Nuggets went down to San Francisco for their first game of the season, while the Warriors played their 2nd game of their season after beating the LeBron-less Los Angeles Lakers. For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic starts his 2025 season with a triple double normal for his play, but with only 21 points in scoring, while his teammate Aaron Gordon had 50 points on 81% shooting to carry Denver’s offense. On the Warriors, the team looked disappointing throughout, even in the 3rd quarter, until the 4th. When Curry decided to lock in, he had 15 points throughout the last quarter and sent the game into overtime, landing the dagger layup on top of Denver to pull an overtime victory from under the Nuggets carpet and for Curry’s Warriors to become 2-0.
Final(OT): GS 137 – 131 DEN
Friday Oct 24
The goat snatching alien (Wemby vs. Zion in OT)
The Spurs and Pelicans had a heated matchup on Friday. The game started on fire, as Zion Williamson jumped up to block a shot by Victor Wembanyama, and the same energy stayed throughout the game. Wembanyama and Zion were the standouts of this game, with Wembanyama having 29 points and 9 blocks, and Williamson having 27 points and 10 rebounds. Some other game standouts included Luke Kornet for the Spurs with 12 rebounds, and Jeremiah Fears in his 2nd rookie season game, getting 13 points and 2 steals on 62.5% shooting. While maintaining these cutthroat performances, the 2 teams went into overtime, where it was not Wemby or Zion who secured the game; it was the bench for the Spurs who went into full motion, ending the game with a 4-point win over the Pelicans.
Final(OT): SA 120 – 116 NO
Player and Team Spotlight:
Could Wemby be the next goat?
After training with Shaolin monks and the help of Kevin Garnett, ala Dragon Ball Z, Wemby has transformed into something unstoppable. As it is only 3 years into his career, it seems too early to attribute Victor as being the next goat candidate in the NBA, but based on his performances in week 1, it is likely that he has the potential. Throughout week 1, he has helped carry his team to a 3-0 record, while averaging 33 pts, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks a game, the highest average all time (even if it’s only the first week). The man has all the potential to become a goat of basketball, and if he fully realizes it, which it looks like he is starting to now, he can transform into a different beast for his and the NBA’s future.
The Lakers seem competent without LeBron
While Lebron James has been injured, the Lakers have started 2-1, even without James’ help. Luka Doncic put up 92 points in the first two games of the season, which made people believe that Luka may be carrying this team through LeBron’s time out. This was proven false by Austin Reeves, who dropped 50 points in a 7-point win against the Sacramento Kings. The Lakers have the team and essentially the star power on their own lineup, thanks to Luka and the now emerging Reaves, who delivered a 50-point performance, the Lakers could be locked in for a great start to the season without LeBron.
Major Game Predictions (Oct 27 – Nov 2):
Monday: Hawks @ Bulls (Play-in rematch)
Atlanta win
Tuesday: Clippers @ Warriors
Warriors win
Wednesday: Lakers @ Timberwolves
Lakers win
Thursday: Warriors @ Milwaukee
Friday: Lakers @ Grizzlies
Lakers win
Saturday: Mavs @ Pistons
Mavs win
Sunday: Bulls @ Knicks
Knicks win
